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CONVENTION ON UNEP/CMS/COP13/Inf.13b MIGRATORY 17 October 2019 Original: English SPECIES 13th MEETING OF THE CONFERENCE OF THE PARTIES Gandhinagar, India, 17 - 22 February 2020 Agenda Item 26.2.3 FAO TECHNICAL GUIDELINES FOR RESPONSIBLE FISHERIES: FISHING OPERATIONS – BEST PRACTICES TO REDUCE INCIDENTAL CATCH OF SEABIRDS IN CAPTURE FISHERIES Summary: This document is referred to in UNEP/CMS/COP13/Doc.26.2.3 Bycatch, and contains ‘Best practices to reduce incidental catch of seabirds in capture fisheries’ (number 1, supplement 2) of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) Technical Guidelines for Responsible Fisheries. ISSN 1020-5292 FAO TECHNICAL GUIDELINES FOR RESPONSIBLE FISHERIES 1 Suppl. 2 FISHING OPERATIONS These Guidelines have been produced to support implementation of the 2. Best practices to reduce International Plan of Action for Reducing Incidental Catch of Seabirds in Longline incidentalincidental catchcatch ofof seabirdsseabirds Fisheries (IPOA-Seabirds). They are addressed to decision-makers and policy-makers associated with conserving seabirds and with minimizing their interaction with fishing inin capturecapture fisheriesfisheries gears, but the Guidelines should also be of interest to fishing industries and other parties. ISBN 978-92-5-106423-8 ISSN 1020-5292 9 7 8 9 2 5 1 0 6 4 2 3 8 I1145E/1/10.09/1000 Cover photo: Twin streamer (tori) lines to reduce seabird strikes with warp cables on a stern trawler in South Africa. Courtesy of Barry Watkins, BirdLife Albatross Task Force, South Africa. FAO TECHNICAL GUIDELINES FOR RESPONSIBLE FISHERIES 1 Suppl. 2 FISHING OPERATIONS 2. Best practices to reduce incidental catch of seabirds in capture fisheries FOOD AND AGRICULTURE ORGANIZATION OF THE UNITED NATIONS Rome, 2009 The designations employed and the presentation of material in this information product do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) concerning the legal or development status of any country, territory, city or area or of its authorities, or concerning the delimitation of its frontiers or boundaries. The mention of specific companies or products of manufacturers, whether or not these have been patented, does not imply that these have been endorsed or recommended by FAO in preference to others of a similar nature that are not mentioned. ISBN 978-92-5-106423-8 All rights reserved. Reproduction and dissemination of material in this information product for educational or other non-commercial purposes are authorized without any prior written permission from the copyright holders provided the source is fully acknowledged. Reproduction of material in this information product for resale or other commercial purposes is prohibited without written permission of the copyright holders. Applications for such permission should be addressed to: Chief Electronic Publishing Policy and Support Branch Communication Division FAO Viale delle Terme di Caracalla, 00153 Rome, Italy or by e-mail to: [email protected] © FAO 2009 iii PREPARATION OF THIS DOCUMENT In response to an increased awareness about the incidental catch of seabirds in longline fisheries and its potential negative impacts on seabird populations, a proposal was made at the twenty-second session of the Committee on Fisheries (COFI) in March 1997 that the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) organize an expert consultation, using extrabudgetary funds, to develop guidelines leading to a Plan of Action to be submitted at the next session of COFI aimed at reducing the incidental catch of seabirds. The International Plan of Action for Reducing Incidental Catch of Seabirds in Longline Fisheries (IPOA–Seabirds) was developed through the meeting of a Technical Working Group on Reduction of Incidental Catch of Seabirds in Longline Fisheries in Tokyo, Japan, in March 1998, and a subsequent Consultation on the Management of Fishing Capacity, Shark Fisheries and Incidental Catch of Seabirds in Longline Fisheries held in Rome, Italy, in October of the same year. The IPOA–Seabirds was adopted by the twenty-third Session of COFI in 1999, which noted that the implementation of the plan should be pursued as high priority. This document was prepared by the FAO Fishing Technology Service, based on the work of the Expert Consultation on Best Practice Technical Guidelines for IPOA/NPOA–Seabirds, held in Bergen, Norway, from 2 to 5 September 2008. It has to be stressed that these Guidelines have no formal legal status. They are intended to provide support for the implementation of the FAO Code of Conduct for Responsible Fisheries (the Code or CCRF). Furthermore, in order to present the management process in all its complexity and diversity, the wording and structure of these Guidelines do not strictly follow the language and structure of the Code. Therefore, any eventual differences in the terminology employed should not be understood as intending reinterpretation of the Code. Finally, it should be remembered that, since the Guidelines are intended to be flexible and capable of evolving as circumstances change, or as new information becomes available, they may be further revised and complemented by other guidelines, notes, etc., on specific issues. iv FAO. Fishing operations. 2. Best practices to reduce incidental catch of seabirds in capture fisheries. FAO Technical Guidelines for Responsible Fisheries. No. 1, Suppl. 2. Rome, FAO. 2009. 49p. ABSTRACT These Guidelines have been produced to support implementation of the International Plan of Action for Reducing Incidental Catch of Seabirds in Longline Fisheries (IPOA-Seabirds). They are addressed to decision-makers and policy-makers associated with conserving seabirds and with minimizing their interaction with fishing gears, but the Guidelines should also be of interest to fishing industries and other parties. The IPOA-Seabirds is consistent with the FAO Code of Conduct for Responsible Fisheries, agreements from the 1995 United Nations Conference on Straddling Fish Stocks and Highly Migratory Fish Stocks and any applicable rules of international law. It encompasses interactions of seabirds with all fishing gears, whether they are industrial, artisanal or traditional fisheries. The IPOA-Seabirds is not a full strategic plan for the world, rather it prescribes a process whereby individual States, States participating in subregional arrangements through bilateral and multilateral agreements to minimize the interaction of seabirds with fisheries, and relevant regional fisheries management organizations (RFMOs) identify national, subregional and regional issues and then develop national and regional “Seabird Plans” to address the issues. The guiding principles of the IPOA-Seabirds and the Guidelines are that States contributing to mortality of seabirds should participate in their conservation and management. The Guidelines are intended to provide general advice and a framework for the development and implementation of Seabird Plans and Seabird Monitoring and Assessment Reports prepared at national, regional and subregional levels. They are also intended to provide general advice and a framework for joint Seabird Plans in areas managed by regional fisheries management organizations and arrangements (RFMO/As). v The Guidelines have been prepared to: (i) assist countries in preparing and implementing a more effective National Plan of Action for Reducing Incidental Catch of Seabirds in Longline Fisheries (NPOA–Seabirds); (ii) provide RFMOs with guidance on implementing an IPOA–Seabirds within a regional framework; and (iii) address incidental mortality of seabirds from relevant fishing gear. The Guidelines emphasize the importance of a cyclical framework of data collection, research and monitoring to quantify and reduce the incidental mortality of seabirds in an adaptive manner. The Guidelines cover the following topics: (i) extend the IPOA–Seabirds to other relevant fishing gears including trawls and gillnets; (ii) uptake of seabird measures by RFMO/As; (iii) defining an incidental catch problem; (iv) mitigation measures and related standards; (v) mitigation research; (vi) education, training and outreach; (vii) observer programmes; (viii) seabird incidental catch reduction objectives; (ix) monitoring and reporting framework for NPOA–Seabirds and regional plans; and (x) periodic performance review. vii CONTENTS Page Preparation of this document iii Abstract iv Acronyms and abbreviations viii Background x Introduction 1 Special requirements of developing countries 3 Instruments supporting IPOA-Seabirds 3 Enhancing IPOA-Seabirds: A need for Best Practice Technical Guidelines 3 Preparation of IPOA/NPOA-Seabirds Best Practice Technical Guidelines 7 Best Practice Technical Guidelines 10 References 27 Annexes 1. Special requirements of developing countries 29 2. Instruments supporting IPOA–Seabirds 30 3. Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources: A case study of economic incentive and industry leadership 34 4. Video and printed resources on reducing seabird incidental catch 37 5. Tables – Examples of mitigation requirements 38 6. Data collected by fishery observers 49 List of figures and boxes Figure 1 Decision-making and process framework for IPOA/NPOA–Seabirds and regional plans 9 Box 1 Best Practice Technical Guidelines 10 Box 2 CCAMLR fisheries example of mitigation measures 14 Box 3 Research and development of mitigation measures 19 Box 4 Initiatives in information exchange